The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has set up a three-member committee to probe death of a final year medical student of the SMC-run SMIMER College. Mitul Godhani (21), a final year MBBS student also a Patidar had committed suicide after jumping off 11-storey hostel building in Sahara Darwaja in Adajan area here last Sunday. The three-member probe committee comprises Dr Hemant Desai, Deputy Commissioner of Health; R P Patel, Assistant Commissioner of Health and Kamlesh Naik, health officer of SMC.

Mitul had allegedly committed suicide after the college authorities had barred him from appearing for the examinations as he could not be able pay the last semester fees.

Following his suicide, Surat wing of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leaders and Congress corporators handed over a memorandum to the Municipal Commissioner demanding to probe into the incident. The PAAS members also had demanded that all the fees Godhani had paid to the college be refunded to his parents.

Talking to The Sunday Express, Dr Hemant Desai, Deputy Commissioner of Health and head of the probe panel said, “We have started our work and took the statements of students. We will also take the statements of his college professors and SMIMER college Dean Dr Kalpana Desai.”